Commentary & Analysis

Financial Planning

5 Things Your Financial Advisor Isn’t Telling You

The world of investment advice and financial planning is full of problems. Things like conflicts of interest, obscure disclosures and an overall lack of transparency leave…

Eric Croak

InvestmentsLifestyle Planning

Thinking About Saving? Make it Easier.

The single most important thing about saving money is to automate the process. You can do that by utilizing your work 401(k) plan or a…

Eric Croak

Investments

Doing Good or Doing Well?

Socially Responsible Investing has become a major stock market question over the last few years. Should you put your returns at risk by investing in…

Eric Croak

Investments

The Index Bogeyman

Over the last several years, index funds have received increased attention from investors and the financial media. Some have even made claims that the increased…

Eric Croak

Investments

Getting to the Point of a Point

A quick online search for “Dow rallies 500 points” yields a cascade of news stories with similar titles, as does a similar search for “Dow…

Eric Croak

Lifestyle Planning

Reducing Debt Without Suffering Today

Trying to reduce your debt? You might not need to look too far, here are some fun ones: Use credit cards to your advantage. Let's…

Eric Croak

Financial PlanningLifestyle Planning

Making the Most of Your Special Day

Paying for a wedding can be a lot, but why not take advantage of it? Here are the three main things you should look for…

Eric Croak

Investments

Should You Direct Deposit Your Investments?

My number one piece of advice is to use your employer's direct deposit to automate savings. Most people believe that their entire paycheck should be…

Eric Croak

Investments

Alternative Reality

Diversification has been called the only free lunch in investing. This idea is based on research showing that diversification, through a combination of assets like…

Eric Croak

Lifestyle Planning

Questions to Consider Before Getting Your Next Credit Card

What's the APR? Understanding interest rates and doing the actual calculation of those rates is the only way to understand credit cards. CC companies can…

Eric Croak

Investments

The Power of Investing

By now you know that investing has worked for millions of people worldwide. Almost every successful person invests in one way or another and its…

Eric Croak

Financial PlanningTaxes

Understanding IRAs Today

Alphabet Soup Part 1 – What Accounts do I have and Why? Acronyms have become a major part of our daily lives. We’re so used…

Eric Croak

Financial Planning

Should You Invest or Pay Off Student Loans?

What would you do to eliminate your student loans? While taking out student loans might not be your biggest regret from the college days, it…

Eric Croak

Taxes

Your Tax Return & You

As tax season closes in, most people are looking forward to a nice gift from Uncle Sam in the form of your Tax Return. The…

Eric Croak

Financial Planning

My New Year’s Resolution: Be More Like Lebron

We’ve all been there. It’s the first week of January and you can still feel the wind of the 2017 doors closing behind you. New…

Eric Croak

Financial Planning

Are You Getting Hosed? 3 Interest Rates to Watch Out For In Your Daily Life

Annual Percentage Rate. The word can be daunting. Companies will use the acronym APR to lower our antennas and, for the vast majority of people,…

Eric Croak

Financial Planning

A Game of Inches

“On This team, we fight for that inch. We fight for every single inch.” Al Pacino’s speech from Any Given Sunday has racked up millions…

Eric Croak

Investments

The Trump Economy and The Market: Making Your Portfolio Great Again

Questions on Trump, the future of America, and its effects on the Financial Markets have been floating through mainstream media over the past couple of…

Eric Croak

Financial PlanningLifestyle Planning

Six Essential Steps for The Successful Post-Grad

And so you have it: college is over and you have a real job. Welcome to the sometimes appealing and sometimes downhill spiral that is…

Eric Croak

Financial Planning

The Ten Absolute Worst Money Mistakes For Millennials

 10. Using a Savings Account as a Retirement Account Bank accounts – great for emergencies & spending, bad for growth. Savings accounts are averaging less than .1% per year…

Eric Croak

Investments

The Market Downturn: A Millennial’s Best Friend

The babbling of the news and negative investor sentiment has had a profound impact on the stock market to start 2016. Stocks are hitting their…

Eric Croak